娱乐英语新闻:Conviction upheld against U.S. music producer for killing actress

LOS ANGELES, May 2 (Xinhua) -- A Californian appellate court panel Monday upheld the murder conviction of famed music producer Phil Spector, who was found guilty in 2009 for murdering actress Lana Clarkson.

Handing out the ruling, the panel's three judges from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal was rejecting the defense's claim that jurors should not have heard the accounts of five women who contended they were involved in gun-related incidents with Spector between 1975 and 1995 -- years before Clarkson's death Feb. 3, 2003. According to a 2009 verdict, Clarkson was shot dead by Spector at his home in Southern California. She was 40 at the time.

Spector, 71, who has been serving a sentence from 19 years up to life time for the murder, shot to fame in the 1960s for developing the "Wall of Sound" recording technique which was used in his collaboration with the Beatles and other top music groups. Clarkson starred in the 1985 Roger Corman cult film "Barbarian Queen" and dozens of television shows.

Meantime, Pasadena Superior Court has set Jan. 9 as the trail date for a wrongful death lawsuit against Spector filed by Clarkson's family, local channel KTLA reported.